Latest news with #NonDoc
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers agree on Oklahoma budget, could see income tax cut
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Lawmakers quickly met Wednesday afternoon to announce they agreed on the upcoming budget. The big ticket item was the income tax cut proposal. Lawmakers announced that there will be an elimination of the bottom three brackets, and the rest see a .25% cut. 'We still have three-and-a-half billion dollars in savings,' said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow). Below is a grid from the Tax Commission that displays the tax brackets. This isn't a .50% cut that the governor had been pushing for, but it is a path. 'You know, the Pro Tem had a great analogy of someone making $33,000 a year. With the flattening of those brackets, would save around $160 I think was his, was his number. And that's very meaningful for a working family in the state of Oklahoma,' said Governor Kevin Stitt. In total, the proposal for the new year's budget amounts to $12.59 billion. Things that weren't added included the Department of Education (Supt. Ryan Walters') request for $3 million in Trump Bibles to put in every classroom and the $500,000 for concealed carry training for employees. Agencies requested much more than was agreed upon. According to the budget transparency website, they had asked for $13.31 billion. Several new additions were announced that were included in this preliminary budget agreement. $250 million is to be spent on a new Veterinary Medicine school. $312 million will go to a prison purchase in Lawton. Even a new pediatric heart hospital was included in this budget agreement. Last year, the Tax Commission found that the biggest cost that hit Oklahoma revenue was the Private School Choice Tax Credit and the Grocery Sales Tax Cut. Oklahomans speak out, write letters against bill restricting statewide ballot initiatives Another question arose surrounding the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. There have been many questions around millions missing from the current budget and what will happen to their future budget. NonDoc reported this week that the budget shortfall for ODMHSAS was around $27 million, but when asked Wednesday, lawmakers said that number is closer to $30 million. That money will have to head their way soon. 'Underscoring Lawson's questions about creating certainty for a supplemental figure, House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Trey Caldwell reported Wednesday that LOFT had conducted its own review and determined ODMHSAS would need closer to $30.6 million in funding to get through the rest of the fiscal year.' – from NonDoc. 'The tentative plan on the entirety of the mental health budget is to stop the bleeding,' said House Budget Chair Trey Caldwell. On Wednesday, Democrats reacted to this proposed budget agreement. 'Senate Democrats have consistently prioritized a bipartisan budget that solves real problems for Oklahomans – one that focuses on working families, not big companies and well-connected people. We've advocated for a budget that provides a great education for every student, not $50 million for vouchers with little to no oversight or accountability. We believe our budget should help make sure Oklahomans can see a doctor when they need one and not have to wait months for health care. We don't believe this budget prioritizes people,' said Senate Democrat Leader Julia Kirt. There are still several steps before this budget agreement reaches it's finalization stage but this is one of the earliest that lawmakers have come together on a preliminary budget agreement in years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma governor disapproves of social studies standards switch
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Governor Stitt voiced his disapproval on Wednesday over the Social Studies Standards switch that happened at the last school board meeting. 'There was a different standard that was sitting on the desk that they actually voted on. Well, that seems that's very, very odd,' said Gov. Stitt. As first reported by NonDoc, changes were made to the social studies standards after the board approved them, which now directs teachers and students toward debunked theories of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and to Old Testament Bible stories and how they influenced American colonists. NonDoc found that revisions were made following a December and January public comment period that received no acknowledgment or discussion at the Feb. 27 OSBE meeting. On Wednesday, new State School board member Ryan Deatherage was in the crowd at Gov. Stitt's presser. He is still asking for lawmakers to send the standards back to the board. Democratic lawmakers have been pleading for the last few weeks for Republican lawmakers to act. Essentially, if lawmakers don't act on them, then they will automatically go through. The last day for them to act is Monday. OK School Standards with 2020 election theories 'going to take effect' 'We will waste a year of my and teachers' time and students' time,' said Senator Mary Boren, D-Norman. 'We should not be spending taxpayer money to fund the propaganda of election deniers or teach their conspiracy theories.' Republican lawmakers hinted last week that the standards will more than likely pass. If they do go into effect, they will be the standards Oklahoma schools have for the next six years. 'So hopefully that does go through. Hopefully, politics doesn't get in the way, and the pro tem will get that done,' said Gov. Stitt. News 4 reached out to Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton's communications team to see if they plan on acting on the standards, but didn't hear back by Wednesday evening. 'The legislature will allocate millions of dollars to provide new social studies. Textbooks for our schools and local school districts will also chip in their own local funds for textbooks,' said Sen. Boren. 'This is our second time calling on Republican leadership to listen to the concerns of everyday Oklahomans,' said Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City. The governor didn't answer when asked if he has urged republican lawmakers to act, he instead insisted that the standards be sent back to him. News 4 reached out to the OSDE spokesperson to see if they had changed their minds and would listen to board members who said they want the standards back. The spokesperson did not respond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Walters' office slips 2020 presidential election dispute into Oklahoma social studies standards
Oklahoma social studies academic standards, already a subject of much controversy during their development, now are in the spotlight again, for an item apparently slipped in by Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters just before they were approved by the state Board of Education. The key question is what, if anything, will the Republican-dominated Legislature do about it? The new version of one section of the standards says high school students should 'Identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of 'bellwether county' trends.' President Donald Trump falsely claimed former President Joe Biden stole the 2020 election and has continued to make those assertions, although no court has agreed with him. No mention of any election dispute, which was first reported by online news site NonDoc, appeared in the draft version of the updated Oklahoma social studies standards, released Dec. 19. The proposed standards were already controversial because of the dozens of mentions of the Bible and Christianity within them, as well as the membership of the executive review committee that oversaw the process. That committee included the co-founder of the conservative nonprofit PragerU, a representative from the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the president of another conservative group, the Heritage Foundation, along with multiple other conservative voices. Only three of the people on the executive committee have ever lived in Oklahoma. The overhaul of the standards came despite a 2021 report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative nonprofit education think tank, that placed Oklahoma tied for seventh nationally in a rating of state standards for civics and U.S. history. Those standards are currently used by Oklahoma schools. The draft version of the new standards was updated after a public-comment period, but the updated version did not appear to have been posted publicly before February's state Board of Education meeting, when they were on the agenda to be considered. When the updated standards were presented during that meeting, no mention was made of the multiple references to the Bible and Christianity included in the standards, or of any reference to Trump or the 2020 election. Gov. Kevin Stitt had appointed three new board members in mid-February – after the release of the draft standards – and their first meeting was Feb. 27. In that meeting, Walters pushed hard for immediate approval of the updated standards, but new board member Ryan Deatherage said he hadn't had time to read them and asked for a delay – a few days, a few weeks or even a month – to familiarize himself with what he was being asked to approve. Walters didn't budge. "We've been working on these for over a year. They've been available to the public for months," Walters said at the time. "The Legislature will start a review process. We are getting close to a deadline that if we delay very long, we could be hindering that." Walters insisted that the legislative deadline meant the board had to approve the standards in February, and the general counsel for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Michael Beason, backed him up. However, state statutes say that the standards must be submitted to legislative leaders 'prior to the last 30 days of the legislative session.' For practical purposes, that means the end of April or the beginning of May, since the Legislature can meet until the end of May. Deatherage told The Oklahoman, 'I was disappointed that we were misled. … I'm just going to say that I was disappointed the way that was handled.' Deatherage said he would be speaking with members of both the House and Senate education committees about what happened. The vote Walters wanted, he got, and the standards passed 5-1 – with Deatherage voting no – and moved on to the Legislature. They go first to the speaker of the House, Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, and the Senate president pro tempore, Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle. The Oklahoman asked Walters' office when the election dispute language was added and why updated standards didn't appear to be publicly available before February's board meeting. The Oklahoman also asked why Walters was so adamant about a vote on the standards being held in February, given the apparent April spokesperson, Grace Kim, did not answer the questions, but instead sent the following statement from Walters: 'The left has hijacked our education system. We have teachers outright teaching our kids to hate our country and our leaders. Not in Oklahoma. In teaching our standards, we believe in giving the next generation the ability to think for themselves rather than accepting radical positions on the election outcome as it is reported by the media.' State law says that, 'By adoption of a joint resolution, the Legislature shall approve the standards, disapprove the standards in whole or in part, amend the standards in whole or in part or disapprove the standards in whole or in part with instructions to the State Board of Education.' If the joint resolution is vetoed by the governor and the veto hasn't been overridden, the standards are deemed to be approved. The same would apply if the Legislature fails to adopt a joint resolution within 30 legislative days following the submission of the standards.' Asked about the standards Thursday, Hilbert said, 'Before I would commit one way or another on the standards, I would want to read them first.' He didn't offer an opinion on the new wording of the standards. Paxton, similarly, was cautious in his comments. He did say he would include the entire Senate in the conversation. 'All of us,' Paxton said. 'The caucuses will get together, along with the minority party. We all participate in this. If we decide to put it on the floor for a vote to approve or disapprove, it would take 25 members of the Senate in order to disapprove that, so we would have to include everybody in that discussion.' House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, and Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said they were concerned by the insertion of the 2020 election language into the social studies standards. 'I do not believe that there were discrepancies (in the election),' Munson said. 'It's clearly an angle that the state superintendent is more on the right of the Republican party. It's misinformation that they continue to spread about the 2020 election. It's appalling that they keep talking about this when there's proof and facts over and over again that there were no discrepancies. Joe Biden was the president of the United States. 'In terms of the rules being in our hands, we will have to apply pressure to House leadership … to hear those rules.' Contributing: Staff writers Scott Carter and Jordan Gerard This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Walters slips stolen 2020 presidential election claims into OK social studies standards
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Walters' office slips 2020 presidential election dispute into Oklahoma social studies standards
Oklahoma social studies academic standards, already a subject of much controversy during their development, now are in the spotlight again, for an item apparently slipped in by Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters just before they were approved by the state Board of Education. The key question is what, if anything, will the Republican-dominated Legislature do about it? The new version of one section of the standards says high school students should 'Identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of 'bellwether county' trends.' President Donald Trump falsely claimed former President Joe Biden stole the 2020 election and has continued to make those assertions, although no court has agreed with him. No mention of any election dispute, which was first reported by online news site NonDoc, appeared in the draft version of the updated Oklahoma social studies standards, released Dec. 19. The proposed standards were already controversial because of the dozens of mentions of the Bible and Christianity within them, as well as the membership of the executive review committee that oversaw the process. That committee included the co-founder of the conservative nonprofit PragerU, a representative from the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the president of another conservative group, the Heritage Foundation, along with multiple other conservative voices. Only three of the people on the executive committee have ever lived in Oklahoma. The overhaul of the standards came despite a 2021 report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative nonprofit education think tank, that placed Oklahoma tied for seventh nationally in a rating of state standards for civics and U.S. history. Those standards are currently used by Oklahoma schools. The draft version of the new standards was updated after a public-comment period, but the updated version did not appear to have been posted publicly before February's state Board of Education meeting, when they were on the agenda to be considered. When the updated standards were presented during that meeting, no mention was made of the multiple references to the Bible and Christianity included in the standards, or of any reference to Trump or the 2020 election. Gov. Kevin Stitt had appointed three new board members in mid-February – after the release of the draft standards – and their first meeting was Feb. 27. In that meeting, Walters pushed hard for immediate approval of the updated standards, but new board member Ryan Deatherage said he hadn't had time to read them and asked for a delay – a few days, a few weeks or even a month – to familiarize himself with what he was being asked to approve. Walters didn't budge. "We've been working on these for over a year. They've been available to the public for months," Walters said at the time. "The Legislature will start a review process. We are getting close to a deadline that if we delay very long, we could be hindering that." Walters insisted that the legislative deadline meant the board had to approve the standards in February, and the general counsel for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Michael Beason, backed him up. However, state statutes say that the standards must be submitted to legislative leaders 'prior to the last 30 days of the legislative session.' For practical purposes, that means the end of April or the beginning of May, since the Legislature can meet until the end of May. Deatherage told The Oklahoman, 'I was disappointed that we were misled. … I'm just going to say that I was disappointed the way that was handled.' Deatherage said he would be speaking with members of both the House and Senate education committees about what happened. The vote Walters wanted, he got, and the standards passed 5-1 – with Deatherage voting no – and moved on to the Legislature. They go first to the speaker of the House, Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, and the Senate president pro tempore, Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle. The Oklahoman asked Walters' office when the election dispute language was added and why updated standards didn't appear to be publicly available before February's board meeting. The Oklahoman also asked why Walters was so adamant about a vote on the standards being held in February, given the apparent April spokesperson, Grace Kim, did not answer the questions, but instead sent the following statement from Walters: 'The left has hijacked our education system. We have teachers outright teaching our kids to hate our country and our leaders. Not in Oklahoma. In teaching our standards, we believe in giving the next generation the ability to think for themselves rather than accepting radical positions on the election outcome as it is reported by the media.' State law says that, 'By adoption of a joint resolution, the Legislature shall approve the standards, disapprove the standards in whole or in part, amend the standards in whole or in part or disapprove the standards in whole or in part with instructions to the State Board of Education.' If the joint resolution is vetoed by the governor and the veto hasn't been overridden, the standards are deemed to be approved. The same would apply if the Legislature fails to adopt a joint resolution within 30 legislative days following the submission of the standards.' Asked about the standards Thursday, Hilbert said, 'Before I would commit one way or another on the standards, I would want to read them first.' He didn't offer an opinion on the new wording of the standards. Paxton, similarly, was cautious in his comments. He did say he would include the entire Senate in the conversation. 'All of us,' Paxton said. 'The caucuses will get together, along with the minority party. We all participate in this. If we decide to put it on the floor for a vote to approve or disapprove, it would take 25 members of the Senate in order to disapprove that, so we would have to include everybody in that discussion.' House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, and Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said they were concerned by the insertion of the 2020 election language into the social studies standards. 'I do not believe that there were discrepancies (in the election),' Munson said. 'It's clearly an angle that the state superintendent is more on the right of the Republican party. It's misinformation that they continue to spread about the 2020 election. It's appalling that they keep talking about this when there's proof and facts over and over again that there were no discrepancies. Joe Biden was the president of the United States. 'In terms of the rules being in our hands, we will have to apply pressure to House leadership … to hear those rules.' Contributing: Staff writers Scott Carter and Jordan Gerard This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Walters slips stolen 2020 presidential election claims into OK social studies standards
